POSTED: March 9th 2011
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NEIL WILSON: A passport of convenience spells only tarnished glory
THE NEIL WILSON COLUMN / An exclusive, authoritative series from Sports Features Communications
LONDON, Mar 09: Did you feel proud to be British when Tiffany Ofili won a silver medal at the European Indoor Championships in Paris? Or proud to be Azerbaijani when Haile Ibrahimov won his? Or were you, like me, relieved that they did not run a jot faster and win gold?
Ofili is one of many athletes flying under a flag of convenience. In her case, it is British. She has spent the first 23 years of her life in Michigan, never feeling the need to visit her mother’s native country, growing up as American as apple pie, competing for the United States and winning its national championships.
Now, with the Olympic Games in London little more than 500 days away and still languishing in 10th place among America’s 100 metres hurdlers, she has dug out her entitlement to a British passport.
Her reasons are clear. She immediately ranks No1 in Britain, so is almost certain to make its Olympic team, and she becomes entitled to £7,500 in Lottery support and a further £30,000 in kind.
So why should I feel any less excited by the success Ofili brings to Britain than the greater triumph a day later of Mo Farah, who was born in Somalia? Because, perhaps, his change of nationality had nothing to do with athletics, or with seeking a lift in cash or competitiveness.
Farah came when still of primary school age when he was summoned by his father who was a resident already of Britain. His entire athletics career has been spent in Britain under its system of coaching and support. His successes are Britain’s successes.
His is a very different case to Ofili’s, and to those of American Shana Cox, who will make the move to Britain from her native US later this year and Shara Proctor who switches from the Caribbean island of Anguilla.
Parental affiliation
All qualify because of a parental affiliation to Britain which they had not chosen to use until it became financially and competitively attractive. None has been bred or schooled in Britain and their successes will say nothing for Britain’s athletic system.
“It’s not like I did anything illegal or am trying to go through loopholes,” said Ofili.
Not illegal certainly but is it any more moral than those athletes who make their moves simply for cold cash. Like the adopted Azerbaijani Ibrahimov, the former Haile Desta Hagos of Ethiopia until he changed his name and loyalty to do battle with Farah in Paris in his new colours.
Those who seek different nationality because of marriage or for political asylum are one thing. Those who do it for reasons of sport are a wholly different and less palatable group.
Athletics Kenya last year accused Qatar and Bahrain of “modern day slavery” in its grab for their athletes. Andrea Dondi, founder of the Alta club in Ethiopia, said it was an “unethical trade in people”.
I cannot see any difference between those who dust off mum’s old passport and those who “sell” themselves for a new one. They are mercenaries.
So excuse me if when Tiffany, or Shana, or Shara, win gold in London next year, I do not stand for the national anthem. It won’t be mine.
NEIL WILSON reported his first Olympic Games in Munich in 1972. He has since covered another nine summer and nine winter Olympics for various newspapers, including The Independent and the Daily Mail with whom he has worked for the last 19 years as Athletics and Olympic correspondent. He was Britain's Sports Journalist of the Year in 1984 and is the author of seven books
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